Improvement in the manufacture of illuminating-gas



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. OLNEY.

MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING-GAS. No.174,559. Patented March 7,1876.

NFETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D c.

SSheets-Sheet 2. G: OLNEY.

MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING-GAS. No. 174,559. Patented March 7,1876.

WITNESSES INVENTOR,

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ATTORNEYS N.PEI'ERS. PHOTO LTHOGRAPHER YIAaHlNGTUN D O 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. G. OLNEYi MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING-GAS. $10,174,559. Patented March 7,1876

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIoE.

GEORGE OLNEY, 0 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING-GAS. 1

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 174,559, dated March 7, 1876; application filed January 13, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE OLNEY, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in the Manufacture of Illuminating-Gas; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference beinghad to the annexed drawings making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of-a side view of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is an end 'view of a rotary pump. Figs. 3 and 8 are details. Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are details.

This invention has relation to improvements in the process of manufacturing gas; and the nature of the invention consists in the process hereinafter described for combining carbnreted-hydrogen gas with hydrocarbon fluid in a heated retort, said fluid being forced into such retort, diluted and atomized by compressed carbureted-hydrogen gas, as set forth.

In the annexed drawings, the letter A designates a steam-boiler, connected by a pipe, at, having suitable cut-ofls, with the cylinder of a rotary pumping and forcing engine, B. This pumping-engine is preferably rotary, and .is designed to draw gas out of a main, gasometer, or other suitable point by means of a feedpipe, I), communicating therewith, and to force' it through a pipe, 1), into a strong metallic compressing or condensing cylinder, 0. This cylinder is provided with a gage, c, by means of which the pressure within the same may be determined, and also with a suitably-weighted valve, D provided with an eduction-pipe, cl, leading back into the main. When a pressure beyond what is desirable has arisen in the cylinder, valve D will automatically rise and allow the excess of gas to pass up above the valve-seat d into an upper chamber in the valve-case 6, when, the equilibrium being reestablished, the saidvalve will again fall upon its seat, and thus out 01f the further escape of gas into the main. This valve is provided with a stem, f, passing upward through a stuffing-box, and having upon its upper end a weight, f, or in lieu of the weight, or together therewith, I may use a coiled metallic spring, S, on the said stem between the valve and stuffing-box, for the purpose of expediting the return of the valve to its seat, and regulating the amount of pressure necessary to open the same. D represents a metallic chamber, provided with a man-hole closed in the usual way, and having arranged within the same a steam-coil, E, communicating with the steam-space of boiler A by means of a pipe, 9, provided with suitable cut-offs. The lower end of this coil passes through the side of the said chamber, and is provided with a valve, 9 The man-hole is designed to allow the introduction of non-fluid hydrocarbons into the chamber D, but the fluid hydrocarbons will be forced therein through a feedpipe, 9 having a valve or cut-ofl, 9 by means of a suitable pump. I shall also employ a fluid-gage, g, in combination with this chamber, in order todetermine the height of the liquid hydrocarbons therein. D D represent valves upon the top of chamber, differing in no respect from valve D. These valves communicate with each other by a cross-pipe, h, extending from the lower chamber of valve D? to the upper chamber of valve D and thence through pipe 01 into the main. When the pressure of gas within' the said chamber raises valve D off its seat, the excess of gas will pass back into the main. But to prevent a vacuum in the said chamber, valve D will open downward when a partial vacuum has been created in the hydrocarbon-chamber, by the passing over of its contents into the retort, thus admitting the gas from the lnain to replace the hydrocarbon consumed. Gompression-cylinder O, inflwhich the low-power gas from the main is forced by the pump, is connected with a retort or retorts, K, by means of pipes i 6 having suitable cut-offs, and the hydrocarbonchamber D communicates with the pipes i leading into the said retort by means of similar pipesjj, the first of which extends nearly to the bottom of the said chamber, and the latter opens into pipes i before it enters the retort. The consequence is that the pipes connecting the compression-.'

chamberO and the hydrocarbon-chamber with the retorts are discharged into the latter through a common educt. These retorts are raised to a high temperature by a suitable his eye a photometer,

' nating standard.

furnace, P. The inner ends of pipes i which enter the retorts are provided 'With a rose, 1, or other-equivalent device, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

The operation of my gasmachine is as fol-' lows: The illuminating-gas derived from the main, being compressed in cylinder 0, will exercise a forcing-power, which will cause the gas in the said cylinder and the hydrocarbon in chamber 1) to be discharged through their respective pipe connections simultaneously into the retorts, the hydrocarbon being atomized or infinitesimally divided in its passage through rose or roses I. These small particles, on coming in contact with the hot surfacesof the retorts, will be instantly vaporized, and will form an intimate chemical union with the gas, thus producing a new illuminating-gas of high candle-power, thus enabling me to obtain from inferior hydrocarbons, either solid or liquid, and from ordinary gas r derived from the mains, a new illuminatinggas of the very best quality for all purposes.

The retorts K above mentioned will be divided tions,

by a horizontal wall, w, into two seethe one above the other, and communicating with'each other by means of perfora= tions 0 made through that portion of the said wall farthest from. the mouth of the retort. The upper section may be filled with any porous uninflammable material, if desirable, which will furnish greater heatingsurface, and thus cause a more perfect decomposition.

The gas,having reached the proper standard of excellence, passes outof the retorts through stand-pipes G into the hydraulic main H; thence to'the gas-holder'ready for consumption.

The operator will at all times have under which will indicate the candle-power of the gas thus made, and by manipulating the proper valves he will be late the flow of gas or hydrocarbon ableto regu s of any desired illumiso as'to provide a ga In practice, as shown in Figs. 2 and 9, I

may sometimes use the pipe-connections as a.

means of compressing the gas in lieu of the cylinder above described,-for instance, in using a'horizontalengine, (shown in Fig. 9,) the pipe i, which leads into the retort, will be jointed into a cross-pipe, '5 having a valve, In, of the same constructionas valve D One end of this pipe will lead to the mainandthe iother directlyto the retort. 1 r

When the pressure istoo great, valve L will open and the main, thus restoring the desired pressure.

When a rotary engine is used, as shown in Fig. 2, the induction and eduction pipes will be connected by pipes N, both opening into a valve, L, the one above and the other below the valve-seat, with precisely the same efl'ect as in the cases above describedthat is, a too great pressure will raise valve L, and allow the gas to escape into the main.

By my invention hydrocarbon substances that have but little volatile action when at rest are readily utilized. Such substances as dead-oil, coal-tar, rosin,-tar, tallow,lard, crude stances that will become fluid by the application of'heat, are available, and can profitably be employed in using my process.

I make no claim in this application to any October 20, 1874, numbered 156,172.

What [claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process of forcing a liquefied or liquid hydrocarbon and a carbureted-hydrogen gas simultaneously into a heated retort, working under such pressure as will serveto atomize the hydrocarbon material used, ran ging from one to sixty pounds to the square inch,substantially as specified.

2. The process of combiningcarbureted-hydro'gen gas and a liquid or liquefied hydrocarbon, by atomizin g the hydrocarbon by means of the gas, so as to pass them together into a heated retort, substantially as specified.

3. The process of forcing a liquid or liquetied hydrocarbon simultaneously into a heated retort by the reactive force of the compressed gas, said gas serving at the same time as a diluent, and causing it to assume an atomized form, substantially as specified.

'pression-cylinder O, and hydrocarbon-chainber'D, of the pipes 11 5 leading from the said cylinder into the retort, and the pipes jj lead- .in g from the hydrocarbon-chamber D into the same, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the abo've I have hereunto subscribed myname inthe presence of two witnesses.

I Witnesses;

F. J. MASI, JAS. B. Looms."

allow the excess to flow back into petroleum,and generally all hydrocarbon subthing. shown or described in my patent of 4. The combination, with the retort K, comenosen OLNEY. 

